I pull out my hair tie, massaging my scalp. I've just had four back-to-back meetings. Who knew a start-up would need so many people? Misinformation these days. I shake my head in disgust.
My phone beeps. I glance down. Ugh. Another meeting. In two minutes. Before I started my business, I thought that two minutes were short. But lemme tell you, that's plenty.
I look back at myself in the bathroom mirror. The office restroom is nothing fancy. The company's only five years old after all. I hastily tie my hair and straighten my blouse. I look like I've been through the worst of capitalism and inflation. Good enough.
I head back to the meeting room. This meeting's objective is basically a check-in on our relations with our partner. To make sure everything on our side is on track. Afterwards, I would need to write an article for my LinkedIn to attract more people to the company. There is a lot to do. But I love writing about what I do. One day, the hard work will pay off.
Wait. There's no one in the room. It's 5:03. How is everyone late? I check my phone again. Nope. Nothing cancelled or postponed. Since when have I lowered the standard enough for everyone to come late? I'm going to wait until 5:10. If no one arrives by then, there will be consequences.
"Hey Aiza!" She certainly wasn't invited, but I don't mind her presence. That wasn't a recent development for sure. It took me years to understand her chaos. Heck, I'm still confused.
"Oh, hello," I greet back, sitting on the meeting table. Being the founder does have its unexpected privileges.
It's Gu Sheng. She's pretty cool to have deep conversations with. On the surface, she may seem a lot, but she'll always play devil's advocate for whatever argument you have. Just say the word.
"I know you'll be mad, but--" Oh God, what did she do?--"the meeting's fake."
I raise my brows, staring blankly at Gu Sheng. She can't be for real right now.
"Yeah, you have a blind date in an hour, so I need you to get changed." She tells me, dragging me by my arm to the door.
Blind date? What? I must have misheard her. I root my feet to the ground. "I didn't hear you well just now. What do you mean the meeting's fake?"
Leaning on the door, Gu Sheng smirks, "It wasn't real. I might have persuaded IT that we needed to test some calendar syncing. Desperate times call for desperate measures. How else would I get the ice queen to ever show up?"
"That is way overkill." I roll my eyes. What a waste of effort. "But, what do you want me to do? A text message would work fine you know."
Gu Sheng folds her arms. "Girl. I said blind date. How is it not concerning to you that you spend more time with your work computer than actual humans? And not just existing around other humans, but having relationships romantic or otherwise with them? Dating spreadsheets certainly isn't healthy."
Oh. She really did say blind date. I don't like the idea of blind dates. Why would I go out with a guy that I haven't done extensive research on? If I don't like him, which is quite likely, then we would've wasted everyone's time.
But, she isn't wrong. I do need to get out more. Little does she know, I've been bouncing between my bed to the office for the last month. I've only gotten take outs, which isn't healthy at all...
"It was a bet, wasn't it." I presume, making my face appear unfazed. There is nothing that Gu Sheng hates more than losing an argument. She'll go to the ends of the Earth to prove her point.
She smiles. "Yes, your little bro made a bet that you would never go on a date. Because I am one of your closest friends, probably your one and only bestie judging by how little socializing you do, I fought for you. So, let's go. We've got shit to prove."
Gu Sheng flips her hair proudly and opens the door out the meeting room, expecting me to follow. I swear. The fact that she thought she was doing something strategic or even intelligent is astounding. Internal facepalm. I don't even know how this woman functions in modern society.
"Why?" I ask, crossing my arms. I don't want this evening to go to waste. "What do I get out of this?"
Now that I have my evening free, I can work on that article. And get Korean take out. Then, I can check another task off my never-ending to-do list.
"I have several reasons for why this is a good idea." Gu Sheng explains emphatically. Many reasons? I don't believe it. "One, the guy is just like you. Serious, arrogant, intimidating, and blunt. Has to think through each decision for ten times before making them. Perfect match I say. Two, he's also a workaholic. Three, he's highly opinionated and stubborn. Cool guy to debate with. Four, you'd help me win my bet, proving that you are not, in fact, the prude that your brother thinks you to be. Five, the guy's paying."
"Why do I feel like you're insulting me?" I complain. She's not going to give up. That's for sure. It's just a dinner. With a dude. I'll treat it as free food...
Gu Sheng widens her eyes. "I just thought of another reason! You can judge him out loud. He's a tough nut. He can handle it."
I can even experiment with how men act on dates. Not that I have any experience, but that alone might make it not boring. I heard there is a whole etiquette guys follow on dates. And to criticize him out loud without any consequences? A dream come true.
And it'll make Gu Sheng satisfied. Then she'd finally stop nagging me.
"Fine. I'll go, happy?"
"Ecstatic."
It's just a dinner. What's the worst that could happen? Actually, I shouldn't have asked myself that.
***
I park my car. I check my watch. Ten minutes early. I quickly pay for parking. If only I could teleport. It would save so much cash.
Less than an hour ago, Gu Sheng forced me to dress up. I'm wearing her sister's dress. I don't have time to buy dresses. Or patience. Gu Sheng has a whole contention that dresses are more harm and than help in most situations. Ask her if you want the details. But this time, Gu Sheng was all for the dress I'm wearing. Ugh.
I'm wearing a simple, navy, A-line dress with long sleeves. As well as one of my trench coats with. Simple, but formal. To be honest, I don't hate the get up.
I stride into the restaurant confidently. High ceilings, carpeted floors, and white table cloth. White? I should write how that is a bad idea when I review this place. The receptionist lady is at the front, scrolling on her phone. I stifle a chuckle. As much as the atmosphere is intense, the service clearly are not held to the same standard.
"Good evening. This is Aiza Khan. K-H-A-N. I'm here for my 6:30 reservation." Gu Sheng had everything ready. She's always so inconsistent with the important things she does. Why does she have to be exact when it comes to stupid things?
The woman startles when she hears the firmness in my voice. I tend to intimidate people. Guess I just got a stern demeanor. Studies show that people are inclined to follow and respect people with low, serious voices. And I was blessed.
She nods nervously and peruses through her list. "You're table is at the very back."
As difficult as possible to escape. God.
I proceed to the back. It's a booth. I slide in. My "blind date" hasn't arrived yet. I still have five minutes. I'll start writing that review for the restaurant then. As much as food is important for a restaurant's success, atmosphere, service, and even parking space can be a deal breaker.
Pros: Not too bright. Music isn't too loud. Not too many people.
Cons: Pay to park. Service was slacking. Bathroom too far from the dining area.
"Are you the date Gu Sheng forced me to meet?" A low, but assertive voice asks. I look up from the notes app on my phone. The dude towers over me, wearing a suit. Why are these booths so low? At 5'6, I'm not short. And he doesn't look tall. I'm probably just a few inches shy.
"Unfortunately." I don't smile. It's 6:36. He's late by six minutes. Underachiever.
He forces a smile on his face. No love's lost when he answers, "Lovely."
Someone's not excited to say the least. That makes two of us.
"As of now, you are seven minutes late. Your suit needs tailoring. You're not polite or charming in the least. So far, nothing special."
Damn, I love judging people out loud. I should start doing it more.
He takes a seat, his eyebrows raised. Not impressed by my little review. He responds, voice equally even and measured as mine, "You came far too early. Makes you come off as desperate, when you're demeanor screams otherwise. Not polite or charming either as far as I can tell. Also, Gu Sheng said you were dying to meet me. You seem like you're dying to leave."
Ouch, but not bad. There's little I hate more than coming off as desperate. It would've only mattered, though, if I came here of my own accord. He actually does have a mind of his own. That's more than can be said about most people.
"I am dying to leave. Your powers of observation leave me in awe," I fake amazement. "But the thing is, I have a point to prove. So, I gotta to stay right here. So sorry for the inconvenience."
Again, he raises his eyebrows. I've probably further pissed him off. What I appreciate most about this arrangement is that I'm not gonna see him after today. So, why don't we turn off the old filter?
He shakes his head slightly, as if to dismiss a comeback. Love the restraint. "Never mind. I'm Salman Hassan. You?"
"Aiza Khan." I take sip of my water. Tsk. I briefly glare at the glass in my hand. Too much ice.
"Let me begin." He--Salman--straightens his already straight posture. "I only came because Gu Sheng said that there was a friend of hers she wanted me to meet. Only when I arrived did she text me that this was in fact a date." He closes his eyes momentarily out of frustration. You and me both, dude. "But I'm already here, so nothing wrong with getting some dinner."
"I am indeed a friend of hers, so she wasn't lying to you. She lied to me though. There was a whole drama on my side." I massage my temples. "She faked a meeting by doing some weird things to my calendar. Then she bombarded me with a bunch of reasons to go."
Salman leans in, his hands clasped on the table. "What are they?"
I smile, also leaning in. "She said you were like me. Arrogant, intimidating, blunt, boring, and a fellow workaholic. Just to name a few. I'm offended at the comparison. But, I was also told you'd be paying."
Salman scrunches his nose before tilting his head. "Not what I expected, but those are all compliments last time I checked."
I roll my eyes. I still have an hour and a half before I can go home. Because, apparently, dates can last that long. My lack of experience with going out is starting to me less competent than other adults my age. Inconvenient.
"I'm gonna have to leave in thirty minutes." He check his phone for the time. Thirty minutes? That won't do. Gu Sheng will not be happy. And my experiment...
"Stay for a while." I relax, taking my trench coat off. Yes, I am physically able to relax. Har, har.
Salman isn't impressed. "I'm busy."
"Yeah, that wasn't a question."
"I'm in charge of myself." He affirms, while rising from his seat. I don't want to force him to stay. I need to find a way to push his buttons the right way. And this guy has large, shining red buttons.
I sigh. "Sure. But you're getting a bad review."
Salman scrunches his brows. "What?"
I smile in a probably creepy way. "Remember that point I had to prove? It's about you. I'm testing whether or not Gu Sheng made a mistake in choosing you for my date. Which I believe is truly a mistake."
His lips twitch. Very easy to trigger. Salman sits back down indignantly. "Please. You couldn't be more wrong. I'm an excellent choice."
I'm righter than you'll ever be. This date is and will continue to be a waste of time and I'll prove it. I smile sweetly. "Then let's begin."
***
"So, how emotionally unavailable are you?" Salman folds his arms. I thought I was the one asking questions.
"Eight out of ten." I pause. Oof, didn't mean to answer so honestly. "I don't care for emotions. And I'm just not interested"
"Nine out of ten." He answers, one upping me. "Emotions slow things down."
I laugh. "You do realize that being emotionally unavailable is a bad thing, right?"
"As if you're not already eighty percent there." Salman takes a swing of his water, unfazed.
I roll my eyes. He's still worse. "My turn. Is winning more important than being right, or vice versa?"
"Winning." He says, without even thinking. He's really quick on his feet.
"Being right. Being right matters more." I disagree. "If I win without being right, what's the point?"
He leans back. "Morals are flexible. But winning is concrete."
Uh, no. Winning is only good for a while. Being right brings lasting accomplishment. Also, being right isn't defined by the truth. It depends on your logic and skills of persuasion. I reply condescendingly, "Sure, you do you."
His brow twitches. I let him off and he knows it.
I smirk. This is actually not the worst. "If someone cries in front of you, what do you do?"
He hesitates. I finally got him to think. "I'll wait until they're done."
"You really do deserve that nine out of ten in emotionally unavailability. Aren't you supposed to make them feel better?" Not that I can do better, but whatever. He's not great either.
"I imagine that you'd be the one to make them cry." He deadpans.
True, but it still stings. "Ouch."